So...I think I have a dilemma with the rating system. First coming to online communities, the idea of getting to evaluate books excited the shit out of me. I could promote my favorite books and rant about the ones I disliked. That's kind of blown over now though, and I miss those days when I was forced to think about books rather than just passing judgment. Analysis always has to come before evaluation, after all, it's the thought process that's much more important and interesting than the end conclusive opinion, regardless of how people might feel "entitled" to their views. I've always believed that what books have to say matters just as much as what readers have to say, and to be blunt GR sort of fucked up my reading process with the need to say whether a book was brilliant or meh or bad. All these preconceptions are stuck in my head and it's a pain in the ass to sort them out.

I might even remove my rating for The Hunger Games, even though I still hate that book. Conversely however, there's still the risk of putting my 5-star books on a pedestal (which is, by far, my deepest darkest fear when it comes to reading classics).

I will say this, Booklikes is better than GR because it allows for half stars. I have no idea why, I feel like I'm so much more fair and impartial given ten different choices rather than five.